“That’s the most important thing. That’s my message to the team is that you can’t worry about the future, you can’t worry about the past, you just have to focus on the present and we really have to maximize every single game.”

Howard, who will be a free agent this summer, said this weekend that he is unsure what he will do at the end of the season, but he expects to remain with the Lakers until then.

“Well, they told me they weren’t going to trade me, so, yeah, I would be surprised,” Howard said. “There’s no need to talk about what’s going to happen at the end of the season. No reason to go back and forth about it. I just feel like at the end of the year, I should have my opportunity to make my own decision. I shouldn’t be criticized for waiting for the end of the year.”